In a campaign dominated by turmoil both on and off the pitch, Manchester United have entered this new decade with some large and ominous clouds hovering over them.
The summer was overshadowed by the transfer sagas surrounding the futures of both Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba, with the latter’s Old Trafford career still under the spotlight now. And these past couple of months have seen Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s rein come under scrutiny, with the Norwegian suffering from some poor results against the likes of Watford and Arsenal respectively. It’s a season that has rather typified the downturn in fortune United have endured since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure – no Premier League titles, and even a couple of seasons of Europa League football too.
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But whilst the former Cardiff boss has received a lot of the flak, much of the criticism should be aimed towards United’s senior stars. Whenever Solskjaer has called upon the club’s academy talents like Mason Greenwood and Brandon Williams for example, they have invariably delivered during difficult times – the duo have already played a combined total of 39 games, despite only being teenagers.
The same cannot be said for many of the more experienced professionals within the squad however. Harry Maguire came in for a world-record fee for a defender, but his performances this season have left a lot to be desired. David de Gea continues to show major signs of regression with fairly amateurish mistakes, with the clanger against Watford taking the cake. Pogba appears to be generating more interest in terms of what he does off the pitch rather than on it. And the less said about Jesse Lingard’s invisibility this season the better – the England international has scored just one goal all season.
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In times of struggle and hardship, it’s the older heads who have to prevail. Showing the club’s emerging talents the way, setting an example and leading them out of the dark tunnel. Instead, they have arguably been one of the main reasons behind why the Red Devils have continued to slide. Looking back at the great Sir Alex Ferguson sides of yesteryear, the squad always had hardened professionals with a winning mentality, the likes of Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand and Roy Keane to name just three.
Whilst by no means is there an expectation that this current United side should be anywhere near those levels in terms of competing for the biggest trophies on offer, the least they can do is deliver performances befitting of their pride. Solskjaer has been badly let down by those senior stars who he will have placed his trust and faith in. With his own managerial experience limited to just Cardiff and Molde, the Norwegian desperately needed his older players to help steer the sinking ship. They’ve simply helped the Red Devils drown even more.
Meanwhile, this Manchester United ace’s shocking display in the Carabao Cup semi-final clash against Manchester City should force Ed Woodward to revamp the club’s January plans.